1. If your employer already has an employer supported volunteering scheme in place.
"Almost a quarter (24%) of employees worked for an employer who had a scheme for volunteering."
2005 Citizenship Survey
There are a number of ways that you can get involved within a scheme. You could:
- Volunteer within a scheme. Talk to your line manager about the possibility of you volunteering and the benefits it would bring to your work and overall development.
- Become a champion. A champion is a person who encourages colleagues to volunteer. They can be a vital part of any employer supported volunteering scheme, especially in a big corporation. 6 out of 10 people who volunteered said they did so because they were asked. (Institute of Volunteering Research)
- Become a team leader. One-off ‘challenge’ events need people to lead the individual projects. It is a position of responsibility but it has many rewards.
Champion/team captain:
| What are the possible responsibilities? - Co-ordinating schemes
- Recruiting volunteers
- Promoting the scheme
- Managing the logistics
- Fundraising
- Assessment reporting | Skills increased - Co-ordination and organisational skills
- People, communication and listening skills
- Interacting with work colleagues
- Planning skills
- Sales and communication skills
- Measurement and reporting skills |
Before your sign up for any volunteering you should think about the following:
-What kind of projects are suited to your skills? Do you want to use your existing skills, develop these, or learn new ones?
-What restrictions are placed on your time? What are your existing work, family and other commitments? How could employer volunteering affect these?
-What other responsibilities do you have? It is always best to start small and build rather than take on too much and find it becomes a burden.
2) What can I do if my employer does not have an employer supported volunteering scheme?
Employer supported volunteering will involve costs to your organisation, so you will need to get a budget agreed. You will also need to get agreement on issues such as time off, co-ordination of the projects and how the projects are chosen.
Securing the support of top management
- Point to successful programmes in companies that are in the same market area or similar public sector bodies. Business in the Community arranges ‘Seeing is Believing’ visits for chief executives and senior managers to see employer supported volunteering in action and discuss the benefits it brings.
- Look for allies. There are sure to be some influential top managers who are already involved in community activities. Talk to them individually. Ask for their help in designing and supporting the programme and using their influence to promote it.
- Start with a project that relates to your organisational priorities and brings measurable benefits.
For further information visit our Business case for employer supported volunteering MS Word and our section on Getting an ESV programme up and running
